Demographics of aging and skin disease

What are the dermatologic needs of aging and skin disease in the elderly in the new millennium? This question may be impossible to answer, but predict ions may be derived from current sources of data. Data from the US Census B ureau and the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey are used to character ize current use of dermatologic care in the aging population of the United States and to estimate possible future trends in dermatologic care as the e lderly population continues to grow. Dermatologic accompaniments of aging a re briefly reviewed, as are issues in health care financing.